AI, data, and ethical marketing

Data ethics

This article is part of a series of articles on data ethics. Read more.

Need to know

The ethical development of AI in marketing makes good business sense but companies should consider their moral agency as a good business decision

Companies are deploying AI for a variety of purposes, most often used by marketers for product or content recommendation, customer segmentation, social listening and sentiment analysis, search, predictive analytics/forecasting, and personalization

It is essential to provide a broader context of risk evaluation for AI in order to address the ethical issues specifically within the marketing function

There are three main risks in machine learning: data bias, lack of data transparency, data monopolies

Data Bias is very difficult to address because often it is not identified until the downstream impact on choices is noticed

Risks are embedded in marketing technologies leveraging AI, such as search and targeting, because it is devoted to delivering to customers what they want to see

Avoiding bias requires being conscious of data reasoning and even developing specialists in identifying patterns of bias. The key is diversifying the people who are designing and diversifying the decision-makers deploying AI marketing tools

Data monopolies, whether the data is held by big pharma companies or by Facebook and Google, has become such a concern that some have called for a Magna Carta or Bill of Rights to protect data ownership. Others have made a case for more radical reform by the imposition of anti-trust legislation given how closely these companies can resemble utilities

On the risk spectrum, reputation and trust are becoming more of a premium and, therefore, they should be high priority throughout the marketing function

The diversification of boardroom talent is essential because better questions will be asked and the risk and audit committees will be able to provide the multifaceted fiduciary oversight they were designed to provide in the deployment of marketing AI. This not only has bottom and top-line benefits but benefits civil society

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